Project Profile: Energy-efficient technical office center

The Bridgestone Americas Technical Center is 265,000 sq ft of laboratory and office space. A variety of energy-efficiency strategies were designed into the building.

Caroline Kolavo

04/25/2014

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Project name: Bridgestone Americas Technical Center

Project type: New Construction

Engineering Firm: Lee Good and Associates, Stadelman and Associates, Environmental Design Group

Building type: Office Building

Location: Akron, Ohio

Timeline: April 2010 – April 2012

Building details

The facility is 4 stories high and contains 265,000 sq ft of laboratory and office space. The building houses 450 employees and contains a research laboratory for advanced tire compound testing, prototype, quality control engineering, and other office functions. The Bridgestone Americas Technical Center was built to U.S. Green Building Council LEED Gold specification. The building features a number of green design strategies including:

Vegetated roof

Filtered chemical hoods to eliminate chemical exhaust

Native plants

Stormwater runoff bioswales

Cistern for rainwater

Natural daylighting

Heat transfer heating/cooling system

Solar panels

Reflective roofing

Ultra high efficiency glazing

Light sensors.

Project details

A variety of products from Bridgestone America building products division Firestone Building Products and strategic partners were used in helping the facility meet rigid LEED Gold requirements. From roofing and metal wall, to water management and energy, this state of the art testing and engineering facility center took a completely holistic approach to sustainable design.

SoL Harris/Day Architecture worked along with the engineering teams and manufacturer, Firestone Building Products, to complete the design and construction of the new facility. The engineering teams were in constant collaboration throughout the project with the architect. The building design reflected input from the engineering teams. For example; windows were added or deleted based on comments from the HVAC engineer, glass was tinted based on comments from the HVAC engineer, the building shape was influenced by comments on energy efficiency.

The variable refrigerant flow (VRF) system was used throughout the office area to create a very high efficiency heating and cooling system. The specialized triple pane, thermally broken window system contributes to low glare and high energy efficiency. Re-circulating hoods in the chemistry lab area handled multiple classes of chemicals. This was the first of their kind in the western hemisphere and was a significant contributor to the energy reduction. The building saved 80% on energy compared to the previous facility that Bridgestone inhabited. Rain water is a significant problem in Akron, leading to sewer overflows into the rivers. The engineers found a way to reduce the amount of stormwater that left the site even though the impermeable area increased.